In spite of my missing the horses, the views were expansive and the wide open sky refreshing. I passed a rock formation called "Fatman Squeeze," but apparently walked right through it without knowing! Maybe that means I am now below fat man status!
June 16, 2013
At 11 am today I walked into the Wise Shelter, rolled my pack onto the ground, and began to do, "The Dance!" Lucky for me, I was alone. It was definitely a time for celebration. According to the AWOL Guide to the AT, 2013 edition, Wise shelter sits at exactly 500.0 miles from the trail's beginning on Springer Mountain in GA!
If someone had been giving good odds in April I might have been tempted to bet against myself reaching this point! Now, here I am. A little battered and worn, but still on the trail.
Today is Fathers Day. It has been tough, mentally, all day long. I miss my dad, but even more so I'm missing my family. It's so frustrating not being able to at least hear their voices on the phone. I've been dreaming all day how much fun it would be to have all of the family together after the summer. For now, I hope that I have some voicemail messages waiting for me when I get to town.
I started my day early from the Thomas Knob shelter, on Mt Rogers. I was excited about seeing the horses that everyone had stories and pictures about. Don't worry, I was told, "You will see plenty of horses. Especially if you are out early." Mile after mile I walked. I saw plenty of evidence that the horses were there, but never any sign of one, near or distant. It was a major disappointment. Other hikers continue to show me pictures on their cameras of their playful encounters.
What was exciting today was my hike through the Highlands. In spite of my missing the horses, the views were expansive and the wide open sky refreshing. I passed a rock formation called "Fatman Squeeze," but apparently walked right through it without knowing! Maybe that means I am now below fat man status!
Leaving Wise shelter, I push on to the next one 6 miles away. It should be an easy distance, but the trail is so tough that it takes me all afternoon. It is six miles of bolders piled across the trail. Every step has to be thought through and many of the rocks are moss covered or wet from underground streams.
It is close to five o'clock when I arrive at my destination. I've only covered 11 miles today, but my feet and ankles are worn out. I pulled off my shoes, both pairs of shocks, and ankle braces and begin to doctor my feet. I was still blue inside, missing my family and pondering another night alone in camp, when I heard the tapping of walking sticks on the rocky path. It was Eric, a through hiker from Knoxville. In a short time he was joined by seven other young, strong hikers tired from their 23 mile day and ready to set up camp.
My day has closed surrounded by the life and conversation of this group of young hikers. Instead of being alone in the shelter, it is packed with bodies and one dog. Instead of being the last man on the trail, for one night at least, I am joined by others all with the same purpose and direction as I. Together we all agreed, it has been an awesome 500 miles.
At 11 am today I walked into the Wise Shelter, rolled my pack onto the ground, and began to do, "The Dance!" Lucky for me, I was alone. It was definitely a time for celebration. According to the AWOL Guide to the AT, 2013 edition, Wise shelter sits at exactly 500.0 miles from the trail's beginning on Springer Mountain in GA!
If someone had been giving good odds in April I might have been tempted to bet against myself reaching this point! Now, here I am. A little battered and worn, but still on the trail.
Today is Fathers Day. It has been tough, mentally, all day long. I miss my dad, but even more so I'm missing my family. It's so frustrating not being able to at least hear their voices on the phone. I've been dreaming all day how much fun it would be to have all of the family together after the summer. For now, I hope that I have some voicemail messages waiting for me when I get to town.
I started my day early from the Thomas Knob shelter, on Mt Rogers. I was excited about seeing the horses that everyone had stories and pictures about. Don't worry, I was told, "You will see plenty of horses. Especially if you are out early." Mile after mile I walked. I saw plenty of evidence that the horses were there, but never any sign of one, near or distant. It was a major disappointment. Other hikers continue to show me pictures on their cameras of their playful encounters.
What was exciting today was my hike through the Highlands. In spite of my missing the horses, the views were expansive and the wide open sky refreshing. I passed a rock formation called "Fatman Squeeze," but apparently walked right through it without knowing! Maybe that means I am now below fat man status!
Leaving Wise shelter, I push on to the next one 6 miles away. It should be an easy distance, but the trail is so tough that it takes me all afternoon. It is six miles of bolders piled across the trail. Every step has to be thought through and many of the rocks are moss covered or wet from underground streams.
It is close to five o'clock when I arrive at my destination. I've only covered 11 miles today, but my feet and ankles are worn out. I pulled off my shoes, both pairs of shocks, and ankle braces and begin to doctor my feet. I was still blue inside, missing my family and pondering another night alone in camp, when I heard the tapping of walking sticks on the rocky path. It was Eric, a through hiker from Knoxville. In a short time he was joined by seven other young, strong hikers tired from their 23 mile day and ready to set up camp.
My day has closed surrounded by the life and conversation of this group of young hikers. Instead of being alone in the shelter, it is packed with bodies and one dog. Instead of being the last man on the trail, for one night at least, I am joined by others all with the same purpose and direction as I. Together we all agreed, it has been an awesome 500 miles.
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